Steven Defour: Career Profile

Steven Defour arrives at Turf Moor have won a number of titles in Belgium and Portugal during his time with Standard Liege and FC Porto.

Born in Mechelen, he started his career with his hometown club KV Mechelen before moving to Racing Club Genk in 2004.

Aged just 16, he made his Belgian Pro League debut and ended the 2004/2005 season having appeared 26 times and scored once as the side finished fifth.

In 2006, he moved on to Standard Liege on a five-year contract and in his just his second year with the club, taking over from Portugal legend Sergio Conceicao at the age of 19.

Impressive performances earned him the Belgian Golden Shoe award in 2007 for the best player in the division.

In the 2007/2008 season, he led the Reds to their first league title in 25 years before helping them to retain it in the following season when he made 31 appearances.

During this time, Defour was being coveted by a number of English clubs and after breaking his foot in 2009, he received a letter from then Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson wishing him well in his recovery.

But a move to Portugal followed his spell at Liege and Defour played an integral role as they won the league title in his first season.

During his time at Estadio do Dragao, he made 111 appearances in all competitions which included the UEFA Champions League.

His return to Belgium came in 2014 when his transfer to RSC Anderlecht was confirmed and in 2015/16, he made 41 appearances and scored two goals for the club.

So far in the current campaign he has made two appearances and scored one goal in the 5-1 home win over Kortrijk earlier this month.

On the international stage, Defour made his debut at 18 and scored his first goal for the Red Devils in September 2008 against Estonia in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers at Stade Maurice Dufrasne Liege.

Former national team boss Marc Wilmots named him in his squad for the 2014 World Cup, where he made one appearance against South Korea in the 1-0 victory.